Corn-planter.



No. 743,583. 7 PATENTED NOV. 10, 1908. G. M; STEVENSON. GORN PLANTBR.

APPLIOATIOR' FILED MAR 30', 1903.

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No. 743,583. PPATENTED NOV. 10, 1903.

0. M. STEVENSON. 001m PLANTER.

LPPLIOATIOX FILED MAR. 30, 1903.

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PATENT Patented November 10, 1903.

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oHAELEs M. srEVENsoN, OF HARVARD, ILLINOIS, AssIeNoR or ONE-HALF TOALEXANDER sEcK,- oF HARVARD, ILLINOIS.

CORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 743,583, dated November10, 1903. Application filed March 30, 1903. Serial No. 150,101. (Nomodel.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that LCEARLEs M. SrEVENsoN, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Harvard, in the county of McHenry and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCorn-Planters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements incorn-planters; and its object is to produce a device of this class whichshall have certain advantages over the forms heretofore in use, theseadvantages to appear more fully and at large in the course Y of thespecification.

and illustrated in the drawings accompanying the same.

the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

In the aforesaid drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of my improvedcorn-planter. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is asection in the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4.- is a section in Fig. dis afront View of the check-rower, and Fig. 6 is a section in the line 6 6of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrow.

Referring now to thedrawings, A indicates the frame of the machine,whichis constructed in any suitable way, preferably from light channel-ironassembled substantially as shown in the drawings. It will be noted thata substantially rectangular portion is provided and twoforwardly-extending arms, (indicated by a a.) To the frame A is securedby braces a a seat A of the ordinary form. At the two sides of the frameA are downwardlyprojecting brackets (0 in which are secured by bolts a asleeves B on opposite sides of the frame and in line with each other. Iconsider this method of securing the sleeves in place advantageous onaccount of its cheapness and simplicity; but it will be quite obviousthat the particular means by whichthese sleeves are secured in placeisimmate rial, or whether they are made separate and secured in place orcast integral with the frame. Upon the sleeves B are rotatablysecuredwheels 0 of the ordinary form used in corn-planters.

To the front end of the arms a a of the frame is pivotally secured afront frame D, composed of two parallel members d d, which frame bears atongue E. To this frame are also secured the runners or furrow-openersF, of the ordinary form, and hoppers G, provided with suitable droppingmechanism (not here shown) adapted to be operated to drop the corn bythe intermittent rotation of a shaft H, which is journaled in the frameI) transverse to the machine and connects with the two hoppers anddropping mechanisms. On the shaft H is a sprocket h. The seeddroppingmechanism is no portion of this invention, and for that reason I havenot deemed it necessary to show it in detail. It is to be understood,however, that it is so arranged that forward rotation of the shaft Hwill drop I the seed.

Through the-sleeves B runs a spindle I,

provided with a sprocket z', loose upon it and a ratchet, theconstruction being such thata rocking. motion on the part of the shaft Iwill move the sprocket step by step forward. To the, ends of the shaft Iare secured forked arms 1, adapted to engage with buttons or knots in awire .I, which is stretched across the field inthe ordinary manner. Thiswire is guided between four rollers harranged in pairs on the two endsof yoke-shaped frames K, bolted to the sleeves B. The arms, I arearranged, as shown in the drawings, so that the forked end issubstantially'in line with the space between the pairs of rollers It,and they are held in the position shown in Fig. 2 with the lower endsforward by a spring J secured tothe shaft I.

The operation of the device will now be readily apparent. The wire .I isstretched across the field in the ordinary manner and runs between therollers k. The machine is then driven forward. Each button as it strikesthe arm I swings it backward,.rotating the shaft I a certain distanceforward, and consequently moving the sprocket i forward. This of courserotates the shaft H forward and operates the dropping mechanism in thehoppers G. When the button has passed the rear limit of motion of thearm I,

the spring J draws the shaft back to its normal position, the sprocket2' remaining stat-ionary and the pawl and ratchet 2" moving with respectto each other.

The particular advantage of my construction lies in the fact that thecheck-rower device,as the frame K and the arm I are commonly called, andthe hopper and dropping mechanism are separated, so that each can beplaced where it will work to the greatest advantage. The hopper shouldbe placed in front of the main Wheels, so that the furrows made by theshoes may be closed by the main wheels of the device as it moves along.The check-rower device should also be placed adjacent to the wheels inorder that the weight of the wire may be removed from the shoes andsupported by the wheels. Numerous advantages arise from placing thecheckrower device in line with the supportingwheels, one of theseadvantages being the fact that the weight is removed from the horsesnecks, another being that the two furrows are substantially equal indepth, and still another being that the machine can be driven nearer tothe edge of the field than it can when the check-rower devices areplaced forward on the frame of the machine. The only way in which theseadvantages can be combined with the much greater advantage of having thesupporting-wheels of the device close the furrows is by cutting thecheck-rower device and the dropping mechanism into two parts, as I havedone, and placing each in the most advantageous position.

I realize thatconsiderable variations are possible in the details ofthis construction without departing from the spirit, of the invention,and I therefore do not intend to limit myself to the specific formherein shown and described except as pointed out in the claims.

I claim as newand desire to secure by Lett-ers Patent- 1. In a device ofthe class described, the combination with a frame, of shoes securedthereto, supporting-wheels journaled thereon in line with and behind theshoes, hoppers and dropping mechanism arranged over the shoes, acheck-rower device secured to the frame adjacent to the axles of theWheels, and means of connection between the checkrower device and thedropping mechanism.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a frame, ofshoes secured thereto, supporting-wheels journaled thereon in line withand behind the shoes, hoppers and dropping mechanism arranged over theshoes, check-rower devices secured to the axle-bearings of the wheels,and means of connection between the check-rower device and the droppingmechanism.

3. The combination with a frame provided with sleeves in line with eachother, supporting-wheels upon the sleeves, a shaft running through thesleeves, an arm secured to the end of the shaft, and means for guiding aWire adjacent to the end of said arm, of shoes secured to the frame inline with and in front of the wheels, hoppers and dropping mechanismsecured to the frame above the shoes, and means of connection betweenthe shaft and the dropping mechanism.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination with a frameprovided with sleeves in line with each other, supportingwheels upon thesleeves, a shaft extending through the sleeves, an arm upon the end ofthe shaft, means for guiding a wire adjacent to the arm, a sprocketloose upon the shaft, and a ratchet connection between the shaft andsprocket, of shoes connected to the frame and in line With and in frontof the wheels, hoppers, dropping mechanism secured to the frame abovethe shoes and a drive-chain connecting said sprocket with said droppingmechanism.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with the frameand supportingwheels of a corn-planter, of shoes for opening furrows, ahopper and dropping mechanism adjacent to the shoes and a checkrowerdevice for operating the dropping mechanism, the check-rower devicebeing mounted upon the frame and separated from the hopper and droppingmechanism and shoes.

In witness whereof I have signed the above application for LettersPatent at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, this24th day of March, A. D. 1903.

CHARLES M. STEVENSON.

Witnesses:

RUssELL WILES, CHAS. O. SHERVEY,

